Firefox Java hanging workaround

Recent updates of Firefox and Java don't tend to play nice. I've had existing JRE 6 installations that were fine but then Mozilla adds these JRE versions to their vunerablity blocklists.

The net result is that the previously working Firefox/JRE plugin combination now hangs and crashes Firefox (Windows 7 x64). The same plugin works in Chrome. I hate poorly implemented upgrades.

D* Eyecups

One thing that is apparent when looking through a recent FX viewfinder for the first time is the larger size when compared to the DX viewfinder. But with a larger viewfinder I found that it had a tendancy to have more light leaking past my eye that would give me difficulty in seeing TTL.

Live Once!

It used to be pain to create bootable media (CD and USB) that would contain a standalone OS. Whilst this is somewhat (very) old news here's a quick primer for creating a Fedora bootable USB stick.

Wacom Volito2 CFT-420 and Win7

I rediscovered an old Wacom Volito 2 (aka CFT-420) recently and managed to get it working with Win7/x64.

Insane D800

The D800 broke many barriers when it was released - at the time of release/review DxO Mark awarded it the highest score in it's history (indepth analysis here); Mike Johnston at TOP made the following glowing statement following his own personal review:

For 25 years I've deliberately made it a point to experience a wide variety of cameras of most types: I've tested dozens of cameras, owned dozens of cameras, and seen and handled literally hundreds more.
[..]
Cutting to the chase: all things considered, the Nikon D800E and Nikkor AF-S 35mm ƒ/1.4G lens is the best overall photographic device of any description I have used thus far in my life.

High praise indeed although it hasn't been all positive news.

105mm f/2.5 AI-S: Another old school Classic

The Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 coupled with a Nikon FM2, was reportedly the combination used to capture one of the most recognised portraits of recent times: Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl". But how does this lens perform when not in McCurry's hands?

Minolta Flash Meter III: Too Square to be Cool?

The Minolta Flash Meter III was released in the early 1980s and feels very much like it's time but how is it for basic metering?

Mega JS Mama's Twin: cloned at 50"

Mama's got a brand new bag twin - a Chinese made 120cm x 120cm umbrella framed softbox.

CNX2 WB Correction Confusions

^{[ These are notes for my WB hacking with CNX2 - it's not meant to be a WB tutorial ]}

Still trying to get to grips with CNX2 white balancing for skin tones. I understand that skin tones should result in R>G>B, with a ratio of [ 1 | 0.85 | 0.75 ] being 'reasonable'.


^{red top | blue bottom | neutral third left}

However, most skin tone tutorials refer to corrections in CYMK but CNX2 gives us RAW development corrections with red-blue values only, although it does give us colour balance corrections with CYMK in the adjustment section.

What are the problems with performing development WB corrections with red and blue only?

Single/Double/Close In Diffuse Action

Lighting shiny products and options: bounce-style softbox (Westcott Apollo) vs straight through softbox (Ezybox)




Vanilla modifier vs extra diffusion vs vanilla modifier close in.

Manfrotto 498rc4 - Not quite like a 486

Manfrotto's ballheads are reasonably priced items that will last a lifetime. I had a 486rc2 compact ballhead that served me well but wanted something that was a little bigger.



Step in the 498rc4 midi ballhead.

Cumulative Key and Fill

^{fill only | key only | key and fill}

Maths seems to rule the world and normally in a complex way. These are notes to allow us to approximate the final exposure based on an overlapping key and fill light.

Wet Spring Cleaning

As with most things commercial, there are a million different products claiming to be the ultimate solution. However it is difficult to narrow these down without recommendations and worse (if you are in the UK) then once you have decided to follow a recommendation, you are likely to find that what you want isn't readily/easily available.

Reaching for Another 50mm: 50mm f/1.4 AI-S

The 50mm 'standard' lens was the 'kit' lens of yesteryear but that didn't mean that they were poor quality. In recent times, the 'basic' Nikkor 50mm was the very affordable and highly competent 1.8D but how does this compare to it's older uncle, the 50mm f/1.4 AI-S?

Going Old School

Who said all design in the 1980s was bad?

No Excuses Allowed

^{image (c) Jonathan Mak}
As the web weeps with it's tributes to Steve Jobs' passing this month, there have been some interesting items from business publications that have come back into the light. Of particular interest is Jobs' handling at Apple which may not be to everyone's tastes.

The (Apollo) Clones are Coming

The Westcott 28" Apollo softbox has been long admired for it's quality of light, but as with most things in life, quality costs. For a long time there were no other softboxes like the Apollos and it appeared that Westcott had survived the attack of the clones (unlike the Lastolite Ezybox), however recently there has been a number of umbrella style hotshoe softboxes appearing: the Westcott Apollo clones are coming.

Love that Magick

There is nothing like a good trick and ImageMagick (IM) has plenty of them - if you need a command line swiss knife image toolset then this is it.

White Balance Targets: WhiBal vs Digital Grey Kard

A colour correct image is important for the basis of any post processing: there are a number of white balance targets on the market (such as Xrite ColorChecker) but the 2 reasonably inexpensive options: the WhiBal vs Digital Grey Kard (aka DGK).

Look closer: The Man. that is older than AI

I don't shoot your traditional macros: I tend to shoot people although I do shoot products occasionally, but never enough to justify a dedicated macro lens. Not until a recent discovery, a Micro Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 AI.